Billionaire JP McManus secretly buys huge Cheltenham Festival favourite from 'the shrewdest guy in racing' | The Sun
BILLIONAIRE racing titan JP McManus has bought his latest huge Cheltenham Festival favourite from 'one of the shrewdest guys in racing'.
The former Manchester United owner has swooped for Corbetts Cross, who used to belong to Paul Byrne.
Amazingly, this is fourth top class thoroughbred McManus has bought from Byrne, the son of a bookie who landed a huge gamble at the Festival in 2021.
Byrne owned The Shunter, who scooped a £100,000 bonus when winning the Plate after claiming the Morebattle at Kelso on his run before.
Unsurprisingly, McManus bought that horse a couple of weeks later.
Now the most famous owner in racing has his sights set on more riches after secreltly moving for Corbetts Cross, the 7-2 fav for the Albert Bartlett.
Byrne – who has been labelled 'one of the shrewdest guys in racing' – had only had the horse for two runs after purchasing him from Eugene O'Sullivan before McManus got the cheque book out.
He won £28,000 by winning both starts – but victory in the Albert Bartlett is worth £75,965.
Most read in Horse Racing
Willie Mullins makes last-minute change to Cheltenham Festival preparation
Bash the bookies with these longshots at Southwell including juicy 10-1 tip
My NAP on a very tempting mark over fences at Wetherby
My HUGE 20-1 Gold Cup tip headlines four must-see Cheltenham Festival picks
OFFERS OF THE DAY
William Hill: Bet £10 Get £40 in free bets – CLAIM HERE
Betfair: Bet £10 Get £30 – CLAIM HERE
Paddy Power: Bet £20 and get it back as Cash if it Loses – CLAIM HERE
Sky Bet: Bet £10 on Racing and get £30 in free bets –CLAIM HERE
Coral: Bet £5 Get £20 – CLAIM HERE
William Hill: 18+. Play Safe. When you sign-up via Mobile using promo code P40 and place a bet of £10/€10 or more we will give you 4x £10/€10 free bets credited after settlement of first qualifying bet, free bets will expire 30 days after the qualifying bet is placed, payment method/player/country restrictions apply. Virtual markets excluded. #ad begambleaware.org
Betfair – Place a min £10 bet on the Sportsbook on odds of min 1/2 (1.5), get £30 in Free Bets. Rewards valid for 30 days. SMS verification required. Only deposits via cards will qualify. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly 18+ begambleaware.org
Paddy Power: New customers only. Place your FIRST bet on any market at odds of min 2.0 (EVS) and if it loses we will refund your stake in CASH. Max refund for this offer is £20. Only deposits made using cards will qualify for this promotion. T&Cs apply. 18+ Begambleaware.org
Sky Bet: New customers only. First single & e/w bet only odds of 1/1 or greater. 3 x £10 bet tokens. Free bet stakes not included in returns. Free bets only redeemable on horse racing. Free bets are non withdrawable. No free bet expiry. Eligibility restrictions and further t&cs apply.
Coral: Eligible UK+IRE players. Paypal & some deposit & bet types excl. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 4x £5 free bets. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. No cash-out, restrictions & T&Cs apply. 18+ T&Cs Apply. Begambleaware.org
McManus has also bought Filey Bay, 5-1 fav for the County Hurdle, and So Scottish, 4-1 fav for The Plate, from Byrne.
Frank Berry, JP's racing manager, confirmed the latest purchase.
He said: "Corbetts Cross is a grand big horse and his last three performances have been very good.
"He put in a great performance at Naas (most recent win) on goodish ground over two miles so he is something to look forward to."
"He will stay with Emmet (Mullins, trainer) but it's all up in the air at the minute where he will go. Ground might be a deciding factor too."
All the details on Cheltenham Festival 2023 from tickets to cost of a pint
Speaking of Byrne essentially being the equivalent of a feeder club to McManus, Berry said: "We got the Shunter off him, we got Filey Bay off him and he ran a blinder in the Betfair Hurdle, and we have So Scottish to look forward to as well.
"Hopefully this fellow is lucky as well."
McManus has been busy in the horse transfer market in recent months.
He secretly negotiated a deal for Mares' Chase co-fav Impervious last December.
The owner, whose gold and green hoops are synonymous with Festival winners, splashed out after she beat Dinoblue, another horse he owns, at Cork.
FREE BETS GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chases their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
- Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org
Source: Read Full Article